


Mirror of the Erised

by camsgraphs, haganenobeato



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-28 02:46:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10067000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camsgraphs/pseuds/camsgraphs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/haganenobeato/pseuds/haganenobeato
Summary: Hogwarts AU. When professor Mustang finds himself in front of a curious object, a familiar gaze along with realizations about his past shake him out of the reality he had believed for years.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [haganenobeato](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haganenobeato/gifts).



> So we were working on a Hogwarts AU having Roy and Riza as parallels to Snape and Lily (because we love suffering) with certain (lots of) changes and following the story of Riza's children. However, we're short of ideas to take off with the full story, so we'll be working with one shots about certain scenes that would be inside the whole thing!
> 
> The rough base for this and dialogues were done by me, and the corrections and wonderful complete version was written by Marilyn! Hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed brainstorming ideas and writing this.

As Mustang turned a corner, he realized the halls of the school were in their favor and it created a sting of annoyance right at the edge of his temple. Any footsteps he heard before were silenced. His annoyance became twofold as he surmised how obvious he may have been. Nonetheless, he entered into the nearest door on the right, continuing his search. 

The sound of his own footsteps echoed into the disused, almost empty classroom. Light from the night seeped into the room from the castle’s long windows and illuminated the edges of a floor mirror. Roy moved in closer to inspect why a seemingly random mirror would be in the room.

The words engraved along the top were unknown to him, all but “Mirror of Erised” in unique script. 

He scoffed at himself for becoming sidetracked with such a mundane item and probably lost them for sure now. He turned to leave until he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror. 

Roy would have rathered a lack of reflection like the vampires of Romania. In the looking glass, he saw his face, smiling. The image looked so foreign and unlike him that he was unsure what enchantment the mirror possessed. His reflection showed a man brimming with happiness, saved from the devastation in his own life. It sickened him. 

Suddenly, a hand appeared on his reflection’s shoulder and instinctively, he looked sideways to see if someone managed to surprise him by silently approaching him. He didn’t feel the actual touch and the hand he saw in the reflection was not there. 

Roy looked back to the mirror, causing his stomach to lurch, and he could hear his own heartbeat drum in his ears.

A face he hadn’t seen in a very long time materialized next to him with a smile just as mirthful as his. Her familiar and warm brown eyes looked at him with content. Her face was alive and beautiful just as he remembered it before that stormy night. She was holding an infant. The child had her golden hair. The child’s dark eyes moved to look at Roy and his lips curled to give him a toothy grin. 

Mustang hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until he gasped at his own reflection hold an infant as well. It moved on it’s own accord within the mirror, looking down at the toddler. It was the same age as the one she held, but this one looked just like her. They are the twins she had with his eyes, the first years. 

“The Mirror of the Erised shows only the deepest, most desperate desires of our hearts”. A familiar voice spoke behind him. He turned around to find Professor Hohenheim standing as still as a statue. 

How embarrassing. “Are you trying to tell my deepest desire is the life my friend should’ve had with his family? I must truly be pitiful.” Riza didn’t belong to him. She was Jean’s wife, the mother of his children and now they were both dead. She would never come back to him.

“Or a life you should’ve had” The Headmaster’s tone turned lamentful. “Riza, you see, was a complicated woman with an undying love for the children she carried within, even before giving birth to them. She would’ve done anything and everything for their sake. And she did.”

He glanced into the mirror and focused his gaze on the woman. She looked at him and back at the boys. She looked as beautiful as he remembered her and her loving smile formed a knot in his throat. Hohenheim spoke again, and Roy didn’t avert his gaze from the image he must have really desired. 

“What’s dreaming good for, if it keeps us from living?” He felt the older man’s hand on his shoulder and could finally look away. “Many have lost themselves to this mirror, Professor Mustang. Gone mad. I trust you won’t look for it again.” 

And soon enough they were both walking towards the room’s gate, willing to leave the place behind. Roy feared that if he looked back at the mirror he wouldn’t ever be able to detach his eyes from it. Just a second. Pained, he looked over his shoulder. Riza waved goodbye at him, her eyebrows showing the sadness her eyes were unwilling to, as she held both of his twins close to her chest. He felt heavier than he ever had and crossed the door. The realization had him cold and shaking.


End file.
